MICHAEL KIRAL

PHOTO: RIVERSIDE’S CRYSTAL ROME puts up a shot over Jackson’s Khadrereil Ferguson in the first quarter Tuesday night. (Staff Photo by Michael Kiral) RESERVE – Tramiecia Williams came within a steal of a triple-double as Jackson eliminated Riverside from the Class 2A regionals with a 63-42 victory Tuesday night in the Rebel Gym. Jackson, 20-5, advanced to the quarterfinals to play Welsh. Welsh defeated Lakeside, 61-52, Monday. Riverside finished the season at 17-13. Williams had a team-high 24 points and 14 rebounds to go with nine steals and four blocked shots. Kymeshia Green added 17 points. Khadrereil Ferguson also had a double-double, getting 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tonya Boatner had seven points and six assists. Crystal Rome led all scorers with 26 points. Wendy Reames tossed in another 10 points. Riverside trailed by just four at halftime and had three Jackson starters in foul trouble with three fouls apiece. But the Lady Chiefs began to pull away as the second half opened, scoring the first seven points of the third quarter. Ferguson and Boatner hit jumpers in the lane as Jackson took a 31-20 lead. Riverside rallied behind two free throws and a 3-pointer by Rome to pull to within 31-25 with just under five minutes to play in the quarter. But Jackson used an advantage on the boards to score the final 11 points of the quarter. Boatner hit two free throws and Williams buried a turnaround jumper in the paint to make it 36-25 with 2:13 left. Green converted a three-point play off a put back with 25 seconds left, giving the Lady Chiefs a 42-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Jackson expanded the lead to 51-26 early in the quarter on a put back by Green and a drive by Williams. Rome gave the Lady Rebels their first field goal in almost eight minutes by grabbing a steal in the backcourt and taking it in. She was fouled on the shot, hitting the free throw to make it 51-29. Green got the Lady Chiefs back up by 26 with two free throws with 4:14 left. Reames banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 59-36 but the Lady Rebels could not pull any closer than 21 in the final minutes. “We had them right where we wanted them at halftime,” Riverside head coach Matt White said. “We were down only four and they were in foul trouble. But they came out with intensity and expanded the lead and we had to chase them the rest of the way. They were as good as advertised. They were flat-out quick and they tortured us on the press.” Riverside tied the game at six on a jumper by Reames and a free throw by Rome with 3:41 left in the first quarter. Williams responded with a 3-pointer from the left side on the next possession. Williams scored inside to make it 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. Jackson got the lead up to 17-6 on a 3-pointer by Boatner early in the second quarter. Riverside came right back with a 3-pointer by Reames from the right side and two free throws by Rome. Two free throws by Heather Montz brought the Lady Rebels to within 18-14 with 1:40 left. After a jumper by Williams, Rome drove in and added two free throws to make it a two-point game. But Latrika Shepard came back with a jumper from the left side to make it 24-20 at the half.